Senegal PM Calls Guinea-Bissau Coup 'Sham', Embaló Arrives in Senegal

By Al Mayadeen English

28 Nov 2025 16:57

Senegalese PM Ousmane Sonko calls Guinea-Bissau coup a sham, as ousted President Embaló flees to Senegal and junta appoints transitional leader.

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday described this week’s events in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau as a "sham" and called for the interrupted election process to be allowed to proceed.

Responding to questions from lawmakers, PM Sonko stated, “What happened in Guinea-Bissau was a sham. We want the electoral process to continue,” adding that “the (electoral) commission must be able to declare the winner.”

Despite mounting criticism, the junta signaled efforts to entrench its control, announcing on Friday the selection of Illidio Vieira Te as both prime minister and finance minister.

Guinea-Bissau military officers on Thursday installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president after soldiers removed the civilian authorities before the results of the weekend’s presidential and legislative elections could be released.

In his first public appearance as leader on Thursday, Inta-a claimed the coup was required to prevent a scheme by “narcotraffickers” to “capture Guinean democracy” and pledged to oversee a transition slated to last one year beginning immediately.

The opposition coalition supporting Dias has condemned the coup as “a desperate attempt” by Embalo and his allies to prevent the announcement of election results that would have shown Embalo’s defeat.

Guinea-Bissau President arrives to flees to Senegal

Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau’s ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has arrived in neighbouring Senegal after being released by the military forces that overthrew his government this week, according to an announcement from Senegal’s authorities.

Senegal’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Embaló arrived “safe and sound” late on Thursday aboard a chartered military aircraft. The arrival of Embaló in Senegal comes after negotiations by the regional West African bloc ECOWAS aimed at securing his transfer amid escalating tensions in Guinea-Bissau.

Guinea-Bissau plunged into another political crisis on November 26, as senior military officers declared they had taken control of the state, closed borders, and suspended the country’s electoral process just days after citizens went to the polls.

The declaration occurred amid a sharp escalation near the presidential palace, where bursts of gunfire indicated a sudden change in control, with witnesses reporting soldiers blocking key access routes to the palace and spreading across the capital.

The intervention took place before provisional results were announced, raising concerns that the election, already clouded by allegations of manipulation, had sparked a fresh clash among the country’s deeply divided political groups.

In a statement to reporters, General Denis N'Canha, head of the presidential military office, declared that a command "composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice".

The crisis is taking place in a country that has seen four successful coups and numerous attempts since gaining independence in 1974, where fragile institutions, intense political rivalries, and its position as a major transit route for cocaine between Latin America and Europe have consistently weakened governance and offered repeated justification for military takeovers.